La Parrilla Silver Mine Completes First Concentrate Shipment After Reopened, Officially Enters Sales Phase

[SMM Express] Mining sectors across Central and East Africa are facing a changing operating environment as governments increase focus on resource nationalism, local content requirements and domestic mineral processing. Countries across the region are seeking to capture more value from their mineral resources by encouraging in-country beneficiation and strengthening state participation. Policies in Tanzania, Mozambique, Zambia and Ethiopia highlight a broader shift away from exporting raw materials towards developing local processing capacity. The region remains critical to global mineral supply chains, with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) dominating cobalt exports, the Central African Copperbelt supporting major copper production and significant deposits of lithium, tantalum, niobium, tungsten and graphite found across several countries. However, mining investment continues to face challenges including security risks, regulatory uncertainty, infrastructure limitations and operational constraints. Several countries are also expanding strategic mineral classifications, which could lead to tighter export controls, increased royalties and greater government involvement.

[SMM Precious Metal Express] US-Iran conflict escalates further: Trump stated he is "seriously considering" restarting large-scale military operations against Iran and is nearing a decision, with Iranian funds to be used to compensate for vessel damages. The US has deployed B-1 bombers to escalate attacks. The House passed another resolution calling for an end to hostilities, while the Senate blocked a similar measure.

[SMM Precious Metal Express] US initial jobless claims for the week ending July 18 came in at 187,000, well below the expected 212,000, indicating continued strength in the labor market.